Okay, maybe I spoke too soon last week. Brr! Bravo to all those who endured the single digit temperatures to watch the Pats tromp the Broncos in the AFC Divisional Playoffs at Gillette. I know my mom and husband were not the only frozen Edgartown faces in the crowd: Eric Chase, Fred Fournier, and Andrew and Geoffrey Phillips were there too. The rest of us were content to gather around ye olde flat screen.
Ryan Murtha is driving me crazy with his Facebook updates from St. John. I cannot even begin to describe my jealousy. Hope you’re having fun, bud — then again, if you can’t manage to have fun on St. John, you are definitely doing something wrong.
Downstairs at Atria has become a favorite spot this winter. What a great addition to the winter rotation. It’s cozy, the game (whichever it may be) is on behind the bar, and you’re sure to run into a bunch of familiar faces. And I can’t get enough of that tuna appetizer. I also enjoy the element of nostalgia from back when the restaurant was still Andrea’s, under the ownership of Vera and Bucko Dello Russo, and the cellar was still a dusty old basement with two bare bulbs hanging from the ceiling. We would spook ourselves out down there in the dark on rainy days, until my brother would inevitably jump out from behind a pile of boxes and scare the daylights out of us (a skill that has served him well in present day as Sgt. Det. Chris Dolby of the Edgartown Police Department). Greer and Christian, thanks for giving us another great winter option, and as a side benefit, for keeping a part of my childhood alive.
Aboveground Records celebrates 16 years this weekend of satisfying your music needs. Stop by Saturday, January 21, to honor the record store’s past, and whatever its future may bring. Enjoy free live music all day. The store will be cleared out for an upcoming renovation, so leave your CD wish list at home, and plan to just hang out, listen to some tunes, and enjoy the vibe. Says owner Michael Barnes, “This is not about selling music, this is something else.” For details, call 508-627-4678.
The Massachusetts Farm Bureau Federation (MFBF), the Martha’s Vineyard Youth Leadership Initiative (MVYLI), and the FARM Institute (TFI) are pleased to announce a “Farmers’ Roundtable” to be held Thursday, February 2, at 2:30 pm at the FARM Institute in Edgartown. New England farmers typically have more free time in the winter months, and this discussion is scheduled to take advantage of that lull in the workload.
“If we’re not farming, it’s probably because we’re talking about farming,” said Jon Previant, Executive Director of the FARM. “This is a great opportunity to get together and learn about what’s going on across the water that impacts us.” The event is open to the public. Interested parties should RSVP by email to mvyouthleaders@gmail.com.
Special birthday wishes go out to (Aunt) Barbara Morgan, January 19, to Jade Deslauriers, January 22, and to Jeff Donaroma and Louis Paciello on January 25.
In reminding me of Louis’s birthday, June Manning recalled when Louis used to lead the trolley tours in Edgartown, with the aid of young Andrew and Geoffrey Phillips. Man, those guys used to clean up on tips! I do remember that this was when I learned that the key to being a good tour guide is having a vivid imagination, peppered with a few valid facts here and there. This is only one in a long list of lessons Lou has bestowed upon me over the years. Although, dude, I still believe in global warming no matter what you say. Happy Birthday, Buddy!
